KatrinaWhat can any of us say or write about Katrina? We sat in complete horror as our fellow citizens were stuck in water, rooftops, no drinking water, food, baths, for DAYS. Now, two years later we are still angered out of our wits, and not much has been done for most of the citizens in the gulf coast region. I remember, as if it was yesterday, Jeanne Meserve from CNN, describing the sounds of people, animals begging for help but nothing could be done because it was night fall. I will never, as long as I live, forget what Jeanne Meserve said, the way she said it, and the choking of tears in her voice. I then knew, without a shadow of a doubt, this administration under George W. Bush do not care for POOR PEOPLE. If these people were from Beverly Hills, Manhattan, Lake Forest, LaJolla, the areas with money, the Calvary would have been there faster than any of us can type, but these were poor people, and they just did not care.

Now we have elected politicians who have the gall, straight up nerve to make these statements:

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) said Friday it is “time the taxpayer gravy train left the New Orleans station” and urged an end to the federal aid to the region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

“The amount of money that has been wasted on these so-called ‘recovery’ efforts has been mind-boggling,” said Tancredo, who is running a long-shot presidential campaign. “Enough is enough.”

Well, tell that to the thousands of residents who are still WAITING for the monies allocated to New Orleans to rebuild!! Where is it??? Can the Bush Administration answer this? Can Governor Blanco in Louisiana? What about C. Ray Nagin? Yeah, the people really want to see you, and ask YOU, to answer this. But, nobody has an answer to anything. Guess what? Halliburton did not waste any time getting to the Gulf Coast to keep those weekly million/billion dollar checks coming in. Are we surprised? And what have THEY DONE? Can anyone answer that?

The Citizens of New Orleans only want to be treated fairly, Mr. President.

Obama Going Into theHomestretchI know many are complaining about the Obama Campaign restricting its debates/forums. Some complaints are warranted, but I agree with the campaign. Ever since the NAACP Forum, Obama has turned the corner. He is more precise, on point, and decisive. His debate performance in Des Moines, IA a few weeks ago, showed this. And of course, he was the winner. Now in the home stretch, he is all about being with the people of the early states. These are the folks that will decide the early momentum in these campaigns. Now the horserace has officiallly started, after Labor Day. Look for this campaign to be on a full tilt boogie until the Iowa Caucuses.

All Three Top Contenders, Bow Down to the DNCI diaried this, and yes, they did “bow down”. Totally. And quite frankly it came down to this. Candidates you either abide by the DNC Rules or you just may be penalized by the early states. Backing the DNC to the hilt was the heavy hitters of the Democratic Party, who sent each candidate a letter stressing the importance to abide by the DNC’s ruling and also the importance of the early state strategy. The letter was signed by the heavy hitters of these early states, who have endorsed no one, yet.

Our nominating process is supposed to yield the best possible candidates for the most powerful position in the world. Unfortunately for all of us, it is a deeply flawed system in desperate need of reform. Recent proposals to create a regional rotation system in 2012, or the "Delaware Plan" to allow smaller states to go first, should be on the table for discussion starting this fall.

Once upon a time, presidential candidates and campaigns could rely on a nominating system that was easy to understand. Though envious of the role that Iowa and New Hampshire played in winnowing the field, most states abided by the calendar set by national party rules and waited their turn. But while the rules afforded clarity, they lacked inclusiveness. Everyone knew that when showtime started, only a few voters would be allowed on stage. And those folks, while deeply knowledgeable and passionate about their responsibility, just didn't represent the diversity of our party and our country.

The DNC tried to address this problem by letting two states join Iowa and New Hampshire in the coveted "pre-window" period before Feb. 5. States were invited to apply, and 12 of them, plus the District of Columbia, did so. The process was fair and democratic. Florida, which had a chance to become "first in the South," did not apply. Now it is asking for another chance.

Several top-tier presidential candidates in both parties have spent heavily on private security firms in the early months of the 2008 race, and their reliance on bodyguards, security consultants and even private investigators has led some campaigns into uncharted territory.

A Maryland security firm was paid more than $380,000 by the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and provided bodyguards and intelligence for three months, until Obama was assigned Secret Service protection in May.

Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) -- the only presidential candidates under federal protection -- have each spent more on private security than any other candidate. Two Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, have also had extensive private protection.

Such moves to tighten security have led to staffing and spending decisions that some campaigns later reversed or revised.

Despite her record as a gun control advocate, Clinton's campaign headquarters is protected by a security consortium that carried online advertising for assault weapons and sniper training. more

Quarter Three Ends September 30, 2007The Obama Campaign is promoting a nationwide Countdown To Change. During this houseparty everyone will be conferenced into the headquarters and updates will be given, as well as some questions answered. To sponsor this houseparty, click on the link above. You must be registered by September 6, 2007, to receive additional instructions and materials. And to attend this event in your area, click here, log onto mybarackobama and type in your zip code. I will DEFINITELY be at the one in my area, and I hope that you will too. But, if you cannot attend or participate, you can always tip my Obama jar, here. Whatever you do, make sure you donate by September 30th.

Increasing Pressure on Iran

Americans need to come together to confront the challenge posed by Iran. Yet the Bush administration and an anonymous senator are blocking a bill with bipartisan support that would ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian regime. It's time for this obstructionism to stop.

The decision to wage a misguided war in Iraq has substantially strengthened Iran, which now poses the greatest strategic challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East in a generation. Iran supports violent groups and sectarian politics in Iraq, fuels terror and extremism across the Middle East and continues to make progress on its nuclear program in defiance of the international community. Meanwhile, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that Israel must be "wiped off the map."

In response, the Bush administration's policy has been tough talk with little action and even fewer results. While conventional Washington thinking says we can only talk to people who agree with us, I believe that strong countries and strong Presidents shouldn't be afraid to talk directly to our adversaries to tell them where America stands. The Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to Iran has not worked. As President, I will use all elements of American power to pressure the Iranian regime, including the power of tough, smart and principled diplomacy.

For diplomacy to work, we need to dial up our political and economic pressure - not just our tough talk. Iran's troubling behavior depends in large part on access to billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. That is why I introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act last May, to build on a movement across the country to divest from companies that do significant business with Iran. This would send a clear message about where America stands, increasing Iran's isolation and hitting the Iranian regime where it hurts. Barack Obama Op-Ed New York Daily News

The Obama StoreI decided to click on the Obama Store and was really surprised at the number and variety of goods he has stocked since his announcement. The merchandise line is long and extensive, much more to offer than his competitors. And got to again, give kudos to the Obama Team, for thinking of purchasing their goods and selling it themselves. Yes, we heard major sour grapes from other camps, but hey, if the role was reversal they would have nothing to say. Stop buy and shop.

Wilder for Obama

L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, who made history as the nation's first elected black governor, is preparing to campaign aggressively for Barack Obama, and predicted in an interview that the charismatic young candidate could shatter the Republican Party's virtual lock on the South.

"He's not race-less," Wilder said of Obama, "but the skin color is of no moment. I don't think he would be an easy target for the Republicans."

The unstinting embrace by Wilder, now the mayor of Richmond, could be important in Virginia and other southern states, where his reputation still looms large and the African-American vote could prove decisive in the Democratic nominating contest.

His lavish praise was also surprising. Wilder's frequent practice has been to haze fellow Democrats, either with public digs or a mischievous silence, if he believed they had not paid their dues or could challenge him for influence. Politico, Nasdaq, Nuisance Industry

Great read on the whole concept behind Camp Obama by Zack Exley. Detailed information how this concept started in Chicago and is now nationwide with over a thousand trained grassroot organizers. Ready to go all over the country to mobilize and get the vote out. This race will be won on the ground, and it will be through a heavy grassroots organization. A must read.

Near New York? The NYC4Obama Group is sponsoring a weekend in New Hampshire trip to view the fall foilage and, of course, canvass for Obama. If you are interested, click here. And if your group is planning a trip to the early states, email me at icebergslim1047@hotmail.com and I will put it in the weekly for Obama.

new hampshire, august 19-21, 2007

Obama the Pragmatic LeaderNot only is the article correct, but spot on about Obama. Which reinstates how his commitment to the grassroots will play out, and how Barack Obama became the man he is today.

Far from the centers of power and privilege that have spawned so many commanders in chief, it's an unlikely place to incubate a future president. But the seemingly endless clumps of drab brick apartment buildings and patchy lawns on Chicago's South Side are where Sen. Barack Obama learned some of his most enduring lessons about politics, leadership, and the paths to social change. His experiences here, in fact, amount to a Rosetta stone that reveals the essence of the man who has catapulted out of nowhere into contention for the Democratic presidential nomination for 2008.

As a community organizer in the Altgeld Gardens public housing project in the mid-1980s, Obama, then 23, quickly emerged as a tireless and pragmatic advocate for the community—traits that characterize the kind of president he says he wants to be. "His work as a community organizer was really a defining moment in his life, not just his career," his wife, Michelle, told U.S. News. It helped him decide "how he would impact the world"—assisting people in defining their mutual interests and working together to improve their lives.

Labor Day is the traditional starting date for presidential campaigns -- but Labor Day the year before the election?

That's the reality of the 2008 campaign, a contest that has been barreling ahead since January. The weekend will find candidates crisscrossing Iowa and New Hampshire as if the election were weeks away.

What happens from here on will matter far more than what has happened up to now, but the first eight months of 2007 have delivered on predictions that this would be one of the most interesting and consequential campaigns of modern times.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York remains the front-runner, but Barack Obama's prodigious fundraising and passionate crowds continue to make the senator from Illinois an intriguing rival. Former senator John Edwards of North Carolina has staked his hopes on Iowa, and so far Iowans remain open to him. The rest of the field is starting to make noise, though their odds remain long. more

Obama and The Subprime Lenders

This all started as a good idea - helping people buy homes who previously could not afford to. But over time, lenders began pushing low-income buyers into homes they could not possibly afford, abusing the system by lowering their lending standards, making loans that required no money down and offering low, teaser interest rates that explode after the initial grace period. Some borrowers were also lying to get mortgages or engaging in irresponsible speculation.

Nearly everyone - from lenders to investors to borrowers - fooled themselves into thinking that what they were doing was low risk when it in fact involved a lot of risk.

But we also know that Washington played a role. At a time when non-bank lenders were offering new kinds of mortgage, the federal government should have made sure it was all being done on the level. Instead, our government failed to provide the regulatory scrutiny that could have preventedthis crisis. Barack Obama Op Ed in Financial Times, Jerome a Paris, Response to Bush's Speech

Democrats Seek Change With Style

All across the country, they appear ready to overlook such historically deal-breaking issues as race and gender and under-nourished resumes, focusing instead on personality and character in their quest for something new.

Exactly how much change voters want, and whether the attitudes of Democrats choosing a nominee in early 2008 will reflect the feelings of voters as a whole come election day are open questions.

But at least for now, the unusual and the unexpected are the winning combination, as Priscilla King, 67, of Bow, N.H., suggested during an Edwards event last month.

She turned out to hear Edwards, but she's partial to Obama -- for a reason most analysts had considered a potentially disqualifying handicap: the first-term Illinois senator's lack of experience.

"He's fresh," she said in an interview. "He's inexperienced, and so far, experience hasn't gotten us too far." more

Obama Will Bring Much Needed ChangeJustin Tresnowski, a political science major, is a senior at the University of Notre Dame. He is the communications coordinator for Indiana Students for Barack Obama.

In last month's Democratic CNN/YouTube debate, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., distinguished himself from his fellow presidential hopefuls and stood out as a different kind of Democratic candidate. Doing so in a presidential primary debate can be difficult, especially when each candidate receives a minute or less to produce a sound-bite answer. But while each candidate lamented the ongoing war in Iraq and the failures of the American health care system, Obama showed why many in the country think the Illinois senator is a unique politician who can bring real change to Washington.

Throughout the debate, Obama derided the disproportionate influence lobbyists and special interest groups have on policy decisions, and he insisted that politicians should respond to the needs and concerns of the American people instead of wealthy individuals and corporations. According to Obama, these public concerns include bringing American troops home from an Iraq war he opposed from its beginning, providing all Americans access to health care and ending American dependence on foreign oil. As Obama noted, however, most of his fellow candidates have strong proposals to deal with these problems and others have had similar proposals in the past, but partisan bickering and the influence of outside groups impeded actual change. more

icebergslim’s final word:I was inspired and challenged by the diary written by PsiFighter37.

This diary was about the upcoming request of the Bush Administration to continue funding the Iraq War. Joe Biden made it clear that he will vote for this supplemental. But PSI brought up significant points in questioning the “exact” stand of Clinton and Obama.

I have been troubled with Clinton’s convoluted responses in regards to Iraq, lately. She has continuously said one thing and then another thing, depending what special interest group she was addressing. This diary by clammyc outlines what she said at the VFW Forum. After listening and reading the statements, it is confusing. Then alegre posted a diary that states Clinton calls for withdrawal of troops. Then we are questioning why Clinton is even stating, slightly that the surge is working? Clinton is on record, as Obama, is for keeping troops in Iraq. But for how long? And for the record, this has not been answered.

Iraq is coming down to what Markos stated on the Charlie Rose’s show. He said that after Labor Day these candidates will have to tell us, with no spinning and parsing of words, where they stand on Iraq. It is now September. We are waiting for the Petreaus, White House report to congress and the public where this surge really stands. We already know that the Iraqi Government has only met three of the 18 mandated benchmarks. And wasn’t this the same number as before?

Though Obama is more direct in how he feels about Iraq, the big question is how will he vote? I remember in an interview that Obama stated that the senate was made for you to vote for bad legislation, pieced together, that will make you vote badly. Resulting in your opponent to campaign against your record. I agree with this, which is why many senators do not get to the White House. But now is the time to let the public know, how you will vote on this request coming up from Bush. Over 200 billion is being requested. What will you do? We know that this White House report will be pumped up and bogus, in other words, not the truth. So, what will you do?

We have been in Iraq for over four years and have been beaten at every juncture. Just because we move more troops in Baghdad or Anbar Province, does not mean that these insurgents do not move somewhere else to cause chaos. Because they have been doing this for four years now. It is time to move on and as Obama says, turn the page. That means making a strong, unequivocal statement that it is time to get out of Iraq, and that time is now. Now the question is, what will it be? Continuing this war? Believing the “surge” is working? Or take a stand, without parsing of words, and tell the country it is time to LEAVE NOW. Whatever Obama’s response will be, one thing is for sure. If you are looking for honesty and straight talk, he will give it to you. Hopefully, it will be what we want to hear.

we must never elect another president to allow this to happen again. katrina 2 yrs later, nuff said.

email me at icebergslim1047@hotmail.com, and remember to focus on obama, not the drama

Update [2007-9-3 22:45:46 by icebergslim]: A great diary by Democratic Luntz on Obama being the best winner in the polling. Thorough analysis. Here it is.

subscribe hereicebergslim on Daily Kos ShareNote: If you are viewing this in Firefox, on 17" monitor or smaller, the left panel may be blown. This is a firefox issue, if you view this in IE, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome, no issue. FYI.